Western Cluster: Contractors acknowledge Western Cluster’s presence

TUBMANBURG-Several contractors working for Western Cluster Liberia Ltd have commended the company for the level of work being done in the county, and at the same time, they  are  appealing to the government to  lift  the road user permit imposed on the company last month.

At a news conference recently in Tubmanburg, the capital of Bomi, one of the contractors, Charles Cooper said Western Cluster has been one of the sources of them getting their livelihood. That, they had come from different places in Liberia to work with the intention of finding ends meet for their families.

The company’s efforts was manifested in their collective support for it. That, due to the prolong temporary suspension of the Road User Permit, they said this: “We are dying slowly because three months now, we haven’t taken pay, all because we are not transporting.”

Those contractors largely depend on transporting the ore by road. But for the past two months, they have been out of work.

“See reason, look at  your citizens,  look at women, men that have families, please bring our bead back on our table. We are not using violence but only appealing to you,” he said.

Majority of the contractors are citizens of Bomi County and Western Cluster is the only viable mining company in the region. According to them, they have no other work for now, and the only means of survival was the contract they have with WCL

One of the contractors, Henry Holder said because work at Western Cluster Liberia has stopped and  are no longer transporting the company’s iron ore; life is becoming unbearable for them and their families.

Holder said, “homes are breaking down,  today, we have most of our workers whose wives have left them, today we have some of our workers whose landlords have thrown their things out.”

He indicated that they trusted the president and gave him high votes during the election. According to him, since the action was taken, the county has eventually turned into a ghost town.

“ We are appealing to national government, our father, old-man Nyuma Boakai along with his cabinet ministers and the lawmakers to see reason to sit on round table with Western Cluster to have this problem resolved so that transport can continue” Mr. Holder intoned.

Mr. Holder furthered that transporting the iron ore as contractors is their only hope of survival.

Charles Cooper, a contractor   said: “We are dying slowly because three months now, we haven’t taken pay all because we are not transporting.”

Mr.  Cooper said, “See reason, look at your citizens, look at women men that have families, please bring our bead back on our table. We are not using violence but only appealing to you.”

The contractors appreciation was buttressed by Western Cluster trainees. Like Linda T. Cooper, one of the trainees decried stoppage of work.

She said, “the training is like a waste, though; because after going for like, four months, just to realize that you are not going to work because government has put stop to the road permit.”

“She said, “we are only calling on the government to please allow the work to continue because if it doesn’t, there will be serious problem in the County because for some of us, we cannot afford even food to eat, pay school fees and school is about to open” she said.

According the trainee, they have started receiving complaints from their landlords and other pressure are being mounted on them.

She said, “Now I want to go to school and I want to do this and I do not have the money. I will start to have four to five boyfriends. To enable me meet my needs.”

Not only Linda,  but  also Holder and Cooper spoke with one accord.